1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cradle for a portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a cradle with adjustable retaining devices for securely retaining a portable electronic device installed in the cradle with three-point retention.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the increasing popularity and increasing processing power of portable electronic devices, users have begun to use these devices more than ever. One popular example of the portable electronic devices is mobile phones. A modern mobile phone, in addition to having the capability of making phone calls, can also act as a portable computing platform or navigation system, thereby making the mobile phone an extremely convenient device to carry with the user at all times.
When driving a vehicle, it is often convenient to mount the mobile phone in a cradle for positioning the mobile phone in a location that is easy to access and easy to read the display of the mobile phone. Therefore a cradle for holding the mobile phone has become a popular accessory, not only for mobile phones, but for other portable electronic devices as well.
However, the conventional cradle suffers from the drawbacks of not being adaptable enough to receive mobile phones with slightly different dimensions while at the same time retaining the mobile phone in the cradle securely. One notable problem is when a user installs a protective cover around the outer surface of the mobile phone. This protective cover, often having rubber material, increases the dimensions of the phone on all sides of the phone. Not only can this make the cradle unable to physically receive the mobile phone, but an electrical connector formed on the cradle may not be able to make proper contact with an electrical connector of the mobile phone due to the thickness of the protective cover. Therefore, there exists a need for an adaptable cradle that can overcome these problems with the prior art cradles.